HEINZ Partners With The LEE Initiative to Help Preserve Black-Owned Restaurants’ Cultural Legacy
April 12 2021 - 9:47AM
Business Wire
Partnership will include a grant program and
other resources to sustain long-term business health
As a brand that’s been around for over 150 years, HEINZ
recognizes the profound influence food can have on culture.
America’s Black-owned restaurants are cultural treasures that have
been instrumental in shaping the food and flavor we enjoy today.
HEINZ is partnering with nonprofit restaurant equality organization
The LEE Initiative and Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice
(SRRJ) in a collective effort to preserve the legacy of Black-owned
restaurants through a grant program and other resources to help
sustain long-term business health and success. The partnership is
about more than just saving restaurants; it’s about preserving
Black culture today and into the future.
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HEINZ launches a new grant program with
The LEE Initiative to preserve Black-owned restaurants’ cultural
legacy. (Graphic: Business Wire)
“It’s no secret HEINZ has celebrated the role food plays in our
communities, especially in diners and restaurants, for as long as
we’ve been around. But entrepreneurship is also in our brand DNA
and has been one of H.J. Heinz’s core values since day one,” said
Molly White, general manager and VP, Taste Elevation, Kraft Heinz.
“Black-owned restaurants are critically important to communities
across the country and we saw this as an opportunity to help ensure
these businesses thrive for years to come. We’re proud to kick off
a partnership with The LEE Initiative to help foster a more diverse
and equitable restaurant industry as well as preserve the legacy of
these restaurants, and we anticipate working closely together as we
celebrate, honor and uplift culinary leaders in the Black
community.”
The partnership will kick off with the distribution of 60 grants
through SRRJ, a coalition of industry leaders doing the work to
benefit Black-owned restaurants and communities. The grants are
designed to help them prosper through financial support and a range
of in-kind resources including:
- Providing financial support of up to $20K per grant
- Broadening restaurants’ reach through owner story spotlights
via HEINZ-owned social media channels and paid publishing channel
partners to generate awareness and drive traffic to their
restaurants
- Leveraging HEINZ employee resources and business expertise to
further support the longevity of Black-owned restaurants and
entrepreneurship, such as assistance, training and resources in
human resources, finance, marketing and more
“Restaurants are in a perilous time and their struggles do not
disappear because COVID restrictions are lifted,” said Chef Edward
Lee, co-founder and creative director, The LEE Initiative.
“Black-owned restaurants, especially traditional, family-owned
ones, are especially at risk right now. We are excited to partner
with HEINZ—an American classic—to identify and help preserve many
of these incredible Black-owned restaurants that are also at the
heart of the classic American dinner table.”
Starting today through May 8, restaurant owners can apply here
for a grant. Applications will be reviewed by SRRJ founders and a
selection committee and will be evaluated on factors including a
restaurant’s community involvement and plans for the grant
money.
The grants offered through SRRJ are part of a purposeful,
multiyear partnership between HEINZ and The LEE Initiative that
will grow and evolve over time. This initiative also reflects the
commitment Kraft Heinz and its brands, including HEINZ, have to
demanding diversity and fully living the Company’s values.
ABOUT THE KRAFT HEINZ COMPANY
We are driving transformation at The Kraft Heinz Company
(Nasdaq: KHC), inspired by our Purpose, Let's Make Life Delicious.
Consumers are at the center of everything we do. With 2020 net
sales of approximately $26 billion, we are committed to growing our
iconic and emerging food and beverage brands on a global scale. We
leverage our scale and agility to unleash the full power of Kraft
Heinz across a portfolio of six consumer-driven product platforms.
As global citizens, we're dedicated to making a sustainable,
ethical impact while helping feed the world in healthy, responsible
ways. Learn more about our journey by visiting
www.kraftheinzcompany.com or following us on LinkedIn and
Twitter.
ABOUT THE LEE INITIATIVE
The LEE (Let's Empower Employment) Initiative, founded in 2017
by Lindsey Ofcacek and Edward Lee, aims to address issues of
equality and diversity in the restaurant industry by implementing
programs to directly support people in hospitality. The first
initiative was the Women Chefs in Kentucky program which provides
mentorship opportunities to female chefs in Kentucky. In response
to massive layoffs in the hospitality industry due to the COVID-19
outbreak nationwide The LEE Initiative, in partnership with Maker's
Mark, launched The Restaurant Workers Relief Program. This program
started on Tuesday, March 17 out of the catering kitchen of Lee's
restaurant, 610 Magnolia, and has since expanded to include
services offered out of 19 kitchens nationwide, and 600,000 meals
served thus far. As restaurants start to reopen, The LEE Initiative
launched the Restaurant Reboot Relief Program to help fix the
supply chain, committing to invest $1 million into sustainable
farms. Farms will then give that product to restaurant partners as
the restaurants reopen. Following the death of Chef David McAtee,
The LEE Initiative launched McAtee Community Kitchen, which serves
fresh meals and groceries to families in Louisville's Shelby Park,
Smoketown and West End neighborhoods. For more information, please
visit www.leeinitiative.org.
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN RESTAURANTS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice is a coalition of
bakers, chefs, makers, and restaurant owners joined together to do
the work to benefit Black communities in the South, specifically
Black-owned restaurants that are struggling in this dire time. Our
aim is to collectively raise and provide financial resources to
protect Black businesses in our industry while also amplifying
Black leadership, messaging, and progress. As a coalition, we aim
to provide opportunities for our members to support our causes
without burdening our already overwhelmed industry, truly engaging
in the idea that many hands make light work and that, together, we
can create a much more significant impact for change. We are
committed to this work and aim to keep the momentum of this moment
alive in our efforts for many years to come.
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Lynne Galia Kraft Heinz
lynne.galia@kraftheinz.com
Jenny Ermer ICF Next
jenny.ermer@icfnext.com
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